Be Mine
by Nopa LaMais
Summary: Part 4 of the Holiday Saga. Valentine's Day is a day for lovers, old and new, to celebrate the love and affection they feel for one another. But nothing in the Underground is as it seems and this day will test the bonds of friendship, family, and love.


I don't own anything related to the Labyrinth! All my original characters are, however, mine. :) You may borrow them if you wish, as long as you promise to treat them nicely.

Part IV!! Egads! Where did this come from? Well just read it and find out. :) Please make sure you've read the other 3 parts, or you will have little to no understanding as to what is going on. Please enjoy!

This story is set about 100 years after the events of the first 3 parts...

Chapter 1

The Lord of the Dragons, King Drachen, stared down at the invitation in his hands with a high level of bemusement. While it was true that he had a strong alliance with the Goblin King and had at one point been a familiar fixture in his court, that time had long passed and things had been more distant between the two for the last hundred years or so. Ever since one temptingly sweet and strong willed, raven haired beauty had made her choice to stick with one over the other…

Drake, as the Lord of the Dragons preferred to be called, shook his head at such memories. Sarah had made her decision long ago and he had made his peace with it. He pushed thoughts of his lost mate from his mind as he concentrated on the scrap of parchment placed in his hands just moments before.

It was a standard invitation, elegantly penned and phrased in formal tones. However, unlike others that had no doubt been sent out, there had been a second piece attached to the first, written simply and in a hurried scrawl. _"I know it's been a while Drake, but I'd really love for you to come. Toby will be disappointed if his 'Uncle' Drake doesn't come to his coronation and you haven't even met the little ones! Please come… If not for the kids then for me. I'd love to see you again."_

The invitation itself was something that he had been waiting and dreading for the last few years. From letters that had been exchanged he knew that Jareth was growing weary with his crown and wished to hand the reins over to his heir and adopted son, Prince Tobias. It would be the shortest rein of any Goblin King, but those that knew Jareth could have expected the outcome. Responsibility and obligation were not the stubborn king's strong suits. And while Drake hadn't received Toby as a visitor in a few decades, he knew that the boy was more than ready for the responsibility, so he had known the announcement for the coronation would be swiftly approaching.

He had planned to politely decline the invitation, as he had the previous ones that had been sent to him over the last hundred years. After that first bittersweet Christmas, when he had seen the one who he believed to have been destined to be his with his rival, he hadn't been able to bare the thought of seeing his beloved again. It was too painful for him and the agonizing guilt he saw reflected in her eyes made it worse.

But now this plea from her, practically begging him to come, made him pause and rethink his earlier resolution to not go. He waited for the painful clenching of his heart, or the blood thirsty thoughts towards her husband that usually accompanied any mention of her name. To his surprise though, nothing but a dull ache filled him and he continued to stare at the missive with a thoughtful frown on his face. _I suppose its true what the mortals say; time does heal all wounds._ Had he finally moved on? Was he ready to face his past?

A more pertinent question would probably be, could he really afford the trouble it would cause to _not_ go? The Goblin Kingdom was one of the most well known and respected kingdoms in the entire Underground. While Jareth, Sarah, and Toby would never see his failure to come as an insult, many others would. Jareth's supporters and fellow allies would be breaking down his door over the slight, while hidden enemies would send out ambassadors in the hopes of creating a secret alliance. The whole mess would take years to straighten out and would cause him more grief than just making a brief appearance would.

With a sigh he realized that his decision had already been made for him. Turning to the courier, a giant brutish looking goblin, he said quickly, "You may tell your lord and lady that I will be glad to accept their invitation with my thanks." His heart may have not been hurting over the thought of having to confront his former mate, but there was still a twinge of unease he felt as he made his announcement.

The thick and dim witted creature gave a small grunt and heaved himself off of the floor. "Queen Sarah said she expects you tomorrow," the goblin said slowly and carefully, as if he strained to remember all of the brief message, and Drake nodded without thought before the beast disappeared with a small pop.

"Wait," Drake suddenly shouted out, "Tomorrow?" But it was too late as the foul smelling creature had vanished from his throne room. _Bloody hell! Tomorrow? The coronation's not for another week! What are you playing at Sarah?_ While spending time with his former love and family could be tolerated for a single day with a few hundred Underground denizens to act as a buffer, a full week spent there was another matter entirely. It was too late now though; he had accepted and was bound by his word. _I can't see this ending well…

* * *

_

It came as no shock to the Dragon Lord that the night before he had to leave for the Goblin Castle was spent nearly sleepless tossing and turning, broken up only by moments of unconsciousness where he was forced to relive the brief time spent with the woman he loved. He remembered her smile, her laugh, the flash of her eyes, and the pout of her lips. He could hear the sweet melodious sound of her voice and taste her lips pressed so tightly against his.

In short, he spent the night locked in hell, knowing that that was all he would ever have of her; sparse memories of stolen time that he shouldn't even have. Frankly, he was beginning to think that the fates were cruel monsters to have allowed him to keep his memories of her, even when the rest of the universe had forgotten when Jareth reordered time. _Well Drake,_ he told himself sternly, _if you hadn't marked her as yours you wouldn't be having this problem. _He knew the mating mark had done it. The mark created a bond between the two that was near unbreakable and if it had been completed he would not have spent the last hundred years alone.

Sometimes he cursed himself for not allowing Sarah to complete the ritual. He had been a fool to think that he had all the time in the world. When one's opponent is the time meddling Goblin King, time is not an asset but rather an enemy.

But those mistakes were buried in the past and had little bearing on the future. If he was to survive the next week he had to stop living in his false memories and focus on what was to come.

_Besides, _he thought as he exited his castle,_ there will be hundreds of lovely young maidens there for the coronation and celebrations. Perhaps its time you indulged yourself as you used to. _A small smirk hovered around the handsome dragon's mouth as he recalled the exploits of his youth. There had been few to resist his charm back then, whether it had been female dragons, fae ladies, or any other creature he turned his attention to.

He had never lacked for attention and maybe that was why he still clung to the vision of the green eyed mortal; it was still hard to believe that she had chosen another over him. A few nights spent in the arms of a willing beauty might just erase her completely from mind and prepare him for the duty of beginning to look once again for a mate. There had been grumblings lately from his court over his refusal to take one and the resulting lack of a horde of heirs. Considering that he and Jareth had assumed their thrones close together it was easy for the comparison to be made over the settled down Goblin King with his handful of children and the still bachelor Dragon Lord.

_If the ladies are toothsome enough, perhaps I'll return with a mate for my people._ Best not to think such things though. It would be enough to survive the week with out pining for the Goblin Queen.

Having gained the open air and courtyard of his castle he breathed deeply of the still morning air. The sun had only risen an hour ago and still shone weakly on the horizon. Not a breath of air stirred the treetops or the blades of grass and he gave a small sigh. Flying in such weather was hard work and he had a very long journey ahead of him. Sometimes he wished for a little bit of his friend's power; mainly the ability to poof himself wherever he wished to go.

Focusing on the task at hand, he collected his power around him and banished his seemingly human form, releasing his hold over his draconic side. Immediately his body shifted and grew, becoming much bigger and scalier. The small form with its torso, arms, and legs became a long and sinuous body with four thick legs, each ending in a wickedly clawed foot. His face stretched and narrowed, becoming a long snout, teeth growing and nostrils becoming wider. Two giant, bat like wings now protruded from his back and a pair of slightly curved horns sprang out from his forehead. His hair was exchanged for indigo streaked purple scales and a silvery gray ridge starting at where his shoulders would be and continuing on to his pointed tail.

It was always a relief to assume his true form and he took a moment to revel in it. While his senses weren't exactly at the level of a mere mortal's in his humanoid form, they were nowhere near what he saw, heard, and felt in his dragon form. _Not to mention,_ he mentally added with a grin, _now I can fly!_

With only a few experimental flaps of his great wings to warm up, he leapt into the air and took to the sky. With his blood racing throughout his body and his spirit soaring he began to wing his way to Jareth's castle, completely forgetting about his earlier wish to be able to magically transport himself there, as the ecstasy of flying filled him.

The flight was shorter than he expected and not as difficult as the wind picked up greatly over the centaurs plains. Still, he was slightly tired as the edges of the labyrinth were finally spied on the horizon. It was late afternoon he would guess, the sun low behind him, but not quite ready to completely set yet. With a tired droop of his wings he began to dive shallowly, heading towards the main courtyard of the Castle beyond the Goblin City.

His entrance caused a flurry of activity, goblins scurrying about and making a mess of things as usual. For the most part he ignored the chaos and strolled towards the large double doors of the huge stone edifice. As he made it up the last few steps the doors opened with out his prompting, recognizing him as an expected guest.

For a second he wondered where he should check first. By his estimate he was early, having made better time than he expected towards the end of his journey. Otherwise they probably would have been gathered and ready to receive him. Not wanting to spend time searching for the royal family he headed towards the throne room, knowing that Jareth liked to occupy himself there when he had nothing better to do.

Even though the dragon hadn't been to the castle in many, many years, his memory didn't fail him and he was soon entering the strangely simple throne room for such an ostentatious king. Upon entering he gave a quick scan and was irritated to find the throne devoid of the fair haired fae. Just as he was about to leave his breath froze in his throat as his eyes settled on the petite form standing next to a large window.

Apparently he had greatly misjudged how much he had truly gotten over his former mate. To see her now, elegant and regal, quietly gazing over her kingdom sent his heart thumping wildly in his chest. He drank in the sight, silently entreating her to turn towards him. With her back to him all he could see was the long, wavy tresses and her willowy form covered in a long midnight blue dress.

As he felt a surprising tide of heated passion and love rising within him he saw her back stiffen slightly. Ever so slowly she turned and he felt his heart drop as she faced him at last. She looked just as he remembered her. Delicate features, full pouty lips, and light blue eyes… _Wait a minute, BLUE eyes?_

Neither spoke for a moment as they studied the other and his mind raced as he puzzled over the color of her eyes. Several scenarios presented themselves to him for his consideration, but all were forgotten as she began to speak with soft, lilting tones. "You're… You're here early," she said haltingly, sounding as if she were unsure of herself. _I suppose this must be just as hard for her…_

"The journey proved much easier than I suspected it would," he said simply. "I suppose I'm not as old and decrepit as other's would want to believe," he added dryly, trying to make a joke.

He was vaguely surprised at how her cheeks filled with color and her voice came out so defensively. "You are _not_ an old man!"

"Well, old dragon," he corrected her with a smile, finally moving in closer to her as his body was ordering him to. He was still puzzled over the mystery of her eyes, but it felt good just to be in her presence again. To hear her voice and let her smell wash over him.

When he was but a few inches away he stopped and let the silence hang between them awkwardly for a moment before he bowed deeply. "It is a pleasure to see you again my lady."

She curtsied in kind, performing the act flawlessly. "The feeling is mutual King Drachen." He smiled slightly at her formal tone and took the opportunity to grasp her slender hand, marveling at the fact that it shook ever so slightly in his much larger one. Her skin was soft and smooth, bringing to mind other parts he once claimed a lifetime ago and another wave of lust washed over him.

As he bent to place a kiss on her fingertips, he fought hard to control his feelings for her. _Down boy, she's another man's wife! _Her eyes were continually widening and her blushes had grown worse, but she failed to pull away. Could she see the passion in his eyes that he tried so hard to hide? Did she enjoy the attention he gave to her? An electric thrill raced up his back as his lips made contact with her skin and the thought crossed his mind that perhaps she had missed him as much as he had missed her. It was a jolt for his senses and it woke him up to the fact that he was treading on very dangerous ground.

He still wanted her, in every sense of the word, but it was ridiculous to even entertain the notion that she was anything less than blissfully happy with Jareth. It took every ounce of his control not to claim her as his that very second though. "My lord?" She asked breathily and he dared to look into her eyes.

As bottomless blue wells met him he found that he couldn't win against them; though he didn't bother to try. With every second that ticked by he felt his body calling for hers and the worst part was she refused to flee from him. Surely his thoughts and feelings could be read easily on his face? She had to know that she was driving him wild with her honeyed words and shinning eyes? And yet she stayed, allowing her hand to stay held within the confines of his and drawing him ever closer to the brink of madness with her bewitching gaze.

Her lips parted, an almost silent plea for a kiss, and he had to forcibly remind himself to breathe. What was going on? What was she doing to him? She had left him for Jareth, spent a century in his arms as his queen, and yet now she stood with her former mate, wordlessly giving him hope that maybe, just maybe her heart had not completely forgotten about him…

He took a small step forward, expecting whatever spell that kept them bound to break and her to flee from him. Instead she remained, lips still parted. In fact, as he hesitated going closer, _she_ now took a step, bringing them close enough to feel the burning heat of the other. He wanted more though, he wanted to consume her fire and make it his own.

His hand came up to cup her cheek; lightly, caressingly, the way a lover's hand should be. She leaned into the caress and closed her eyes partly, a long sigh escaping from her lips. At that moment he knew he couldn't take it any longer and he leaned in closer, desperate to taste the delicacy bared so temptingly to him.

A loud noise from behind them broke the moment though and he whirled to see the throne room doors pushed open. In strolled a tall and slender man with sandy blonde shoulder length hair and blue green eyes. "Uncle Drake!" The man called happily.

"Toby," Drake said in an only slightly disgruntled sounding voice, "Good to see you. Or I suppose I should say King Tobias?"

With a laugh the young man said, "Not for another week yet." Having joined him, the boy clasped his shoulder in a friendly gesture and said loudly, "You're here so early, I don't think mom and dad are quite ready for you. The goblins announced your arrival though and they should be down soon." With a conspiratorial wink Toby added, "I wouldn't expect them for at least an hour though, so maybe we should take a tour around the grounds?"

At the boy's, _man, he's a man now Drake and he's about to be king,_ words the dragon's blood had turned cold. If Sarah was occupied with Jareth somewhere, then who…? Slowly he turned around and scanned the room behind him. The woman he had assumed to be his beloved stood by the window once again and if he wasn't mistaken there was a slight quiver to her shoulders.

"Ah, Olivia!" Toby said loudly, almost causing the dragon to wince. "I didn't even see you over there. Would you like to come with us?"

Drake felt like he had been hit over the head with an especially stout board. _Olivia? Sarah's… Daughter?!?_ He had only a moment to contemplate that startling fact before the girl sniffed and turned back around, glaring fiercely at him and saying in a deadly calm voice, "Were you expecting someone else?"

* * *

A/N: And a new story begins! Sorry guys, I just couldn't leave things the way they were with poor Drake all by his lonesome. So, here we are with a brand new Holiday for me to exploit, and love triangles to play with. :) 

I won't even bother promising that this will be done in time for Valentine's Day. I have lots of other stuff going on... Sorry people! Besides, unlike the other parts of the saga, this one won't necessarily end on the actual holiday... You'll find out more about that later!

Big thanks to my beta, Apollo's Prietess of course. Please remeber to review and tell me what you think about this! And feel free to check my profile where I have lots of fun stuff; other stories, links to my yahoo group and myspace profile, and all that junk. :)


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